Gaming method and gaming apparatus with in-game player stimulation

ABSTRACT

A method for operating a gaming apparatus is provided, the gaming apparatus capable of playing a game comprising a plurality of game pieces. The method includes the steps of determining a first in-game outcome for each game based on a configuration of a first set of game pieces selected from the plurality of game pieces, the number of pieces in the first set of game pieces being less than that in the plurality, displaying a first set of images corresponding to the first set of game pieces, and providing a first in-game stimulation selected from the group consisting of a 3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visual stimulation, a value stimulation and a physical stimulation according to the first in-game outcome. The method also includes the steps of determining separately a game outcome for each game based on a configuration of the plurality of game pieces, displaying a plurality of game piece images corresponding to the plurality of game pieces, and determining a value payout based on the game outcome. A gaming apparatus including a controller programmed according to the above method is also provided, as is a system made up of such gaming apparatuses.

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention is directed to a gaming method and a gamingapparatus, which could be an individual gaming unit, a gaming systemhaving a plurality of gaming units, or a network-based system (e.g., aLAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), an intranet or theInternet) having a plurality of member units, that is capable of playerstimulation during game play.

[0002] A conventional gaming unit has been provided that includes adisplay unit that is capable of generating video images, a coin and/orbill acceptor, and a controller with memory and a processor thatcontrols the overall operation of the gaming unit. The controller isprogrammed to allow a person to make a wager, to determine an outcome ofa game, to cause video images to be generated on the display unit, andto determine a value payout associated with the outcome of the game.

[0003] Such a conventional gaming unit may be coupled, directly orindirectly, to other gaming units to form a gaming system. One exampleof a conventional gaming system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,515to Pease et al. Pease et al. discloses a progressive gaming systemhaving a plurality of individual gaming units that are operativelylinked together to allow the generation of a relatively largeprogressive jackpot that may be won by one of the players using one ofthe individual gaming units in the progressive system.

[0004] The conventional gaming unit is programmed to display videoimages representing a game. For example, a video slot machine mayinitially display images representing spinning reels, and furtherdisplay images representing an image, such as a cherry, lemon, bar etc.,for each simulated reel as that reel “stops” in one or more orders. Inthe same fashion, a video poker machine may display images representingplaying cards that are dealt face-up for the player and face-down forthe simulated dealer. In each case, the gaming unit displays the imagesthat correspond directly to the real world gaming devices that they areintended to simulate.

[0005] As indicated above, the conventional gaming unit may determine apayout value once at the end of game play. It is also known to provide apoker gaming apparatus which provides a payout based on a first hand,permits the player to discard some of the cards of the first hand andreceive a redeal, and then provides a payout based on the combination ofthe cards held over from the first hand and the redeal. Additionally, itis known to provide a poker gaming apparatus that provides an option forthe player to request a payout after any card, and then to eitherterminate play or to continue to play but with a diminished payoutopportunity thereafter. It is further known to provide a pachinkomachine which determines whether a payout will be made and thendetermines which video displays will be presented to the player tosignal the player that he or she will or will not receive a payout atthe end of game play.

SUMMARY

[0006] According to an aspect, a method for operating a gaming apparatusis provided, the gaming apparatus capable of playing a game comprising aplurality of game pieces. The method includes the steps of determining afirst in-game outcome for each game based on a configuration of a firstset of game pieces selected from the plurality of game pieces, thenumber of pieces in the first set of game pieces being less than that inthe plurality, displaying a first set of images corresponding to thefirst set of game pieces, and providing a first stimulation selectedfrom the group consisting of a 3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visualstimulation, a value stimulation and a physical stimulation according tothe first in-game outcome. The method also includes the steps ofdetermining separately a game outcome for each game based on aconfiguration of the plurality of game pieces, displaying a plurality ofgame piece images corresponding to the plurality of game pieces, anddetermining a value payout based on the game outcome.

[0007] The step of determining a first in-game outcome may include thestep of determining a first in-game outcome for each game based on asingle game piece selected from the plurality of game pieces.

[0008] Further, the method may include the steps of determining anotherin-game outcome for each game based on a configuration of another set ofgame pieces selected from the plurality of game pieces, the number ofpieces in the another set of game pieces being less than that in theplurality and more than that in the first set of game pieces, displayinganother set of images corresponding to the another set of game pieces,and providing another in-game stimulation selected from the groupconsisting of a 3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visual stimulation, avalue stimulation and a physical stimulation according to the anotherin-game outcome.

[0009] In this regard, the step of providing another in-game stimulationmay include providing a stimulation which is heightened relative to thefirst in-game stimulation. Additionally, the steps of determining afirst in-game outcome, determining another in-game outcome anddetermining a game outcome may be performed before the step ofdisplaying a first set of game piece images.

[0010] The method may further include the step of providing a secondin-game stimulation selected from the group consisting of a3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visual stimulation, a valuestimulation and a physical stimulation according to the first in-gameoutcome. The steps of providing a first in-game stimulation and ofproviding a second in-game stimulation may be performed simultaneouslyor sequentially. The first in-game stimulation may be combined with thesecond in-game stimulation to provide a third stimulation

[0011] Moreover, the step of providing a first in-game stimulation mayinclude the steps of generating an event and providing the event to afirst stimulator selected from the group consisting of a 3-dimensionalaural stimulator, a visual stimulator, a physical stimulator, and avalue stimulator, the stimulator providing a stimulation according tothe event. Furthermore, the step of providing a first in-gamestimulation may include generating a first event and a second event,combining the first event with the second event to generate a thirdevent, and providing the third event to a first stimulator selected fromthe group consisting of a 3-dimensional aural stimulator, a visualstimulator, a physical stimulator, and a value stimulator, thestimulator providing a stimulation according to the third event that isdifferent than would have been provided according to the first event orthe second event.

[0012] Additionally, the step of determining a value payout may includethe step of determining a value payout based on a wager made by a playerand the game outcome.

[0013] According to another aspect, a method for operating a gamingapparatus is provided, the gaming apparatus capable of playing a gamecomprising a plurality of game pieces. The method includes displaying aplurality of spinning reel images, as well as determining a firstin-game outcome for each game based on a configuration of a first set ofgame pieces selected from the plurality of game pieces, the number ofgame pieces in the first set of game pieces being less than that in theplurality of game pieces, displaying a set of stopped reel imagescorresponding to the first set of game piece images, providing a firstin-game stimulation selected from the group consisting of a3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visual stimulation, a valuestimulation and a physical stimulation according to the first in-gameoutcome. The method further includes determining separately a gameoutcome for each game based on a configuration of the plurality of gamepieces, displaying a plurality of stopped reel images corresponding tothe plurality of game pieces, and determining a value payout based onthe game outcome.

[0014] According to a still further aspect, a gaming apparatus capableof playing a game comprising a plurality of game pieces is provided. Thegaming apparatus includes a display unit that is capable of generatingvideo images, at least one stimulator selected from the group consistingof a 3-dimensional aural stimulation device, a visual stimulationdevice, a value payout device, and a physical stimulation device, and acontroller operatively coupled to the display unit and the stimulator.The controller includes a processor and a memory operatively coupled tothe processor and is programmed to determine a first in-game outcome foreach game based on a configuration of a first set of game piecesselected from the plurality of game pieces, the number of pieces in thefirst set of game pieces being less than that in the plurality, controlthe display unit to display a first set of images corresponding to thefirst set of game pieces, and control the at least one stimulator toprovide a first in-game stimulation according to the first in-gameoutcome. The controller is further programmed to determine separately agame outcome for each game based on a configuration of the plurality ofgame pieces, control the display unit to display a plurality of gamepiece images corresponding to the plurality of game pieces, anddetermine a value payout based on the game outcome.

[0015] The gaming apparatus may also include a value input device, thecontroller being programmed to determine a value payout by determining avalue payout based on a wager made by a player using the value inputdevice and the game outcome.

[0016] Moreover, the visual stimulation device may be selected from thegroup consisting of a display unit, a partitioned display unit, multipledisplay units, reels, top boxes, toppers, candles, light bezels, buttonlights and dispenser lights. Also, the visual stimulation device mayinclude a peripheral device having lights and displays. Further, thepayout device may be selected from the group consisting of a coinhopper, a token hopper, a printer for printing merchandise ticketvouchers, bonus ticket vouchers, cash-redemption ticket vouchers, casinochip ticket vouchers, extra game play ticket vouchers, restaurant ticketvouchers, or show ticket vouchers, and an electronic funds transferdevice. Additionally, the value input device may be selected from thegroup consisting of a bill acceptor, a coin acceptor, a token acceptor,a card reader, a ticket reader, a coupon reader, a voucher reader and anelectronic funds transfer device.

[0017] According to yet another aspect, a gaming system may be providedincluding a plurality of gaming apparatuses as defined above, the gamingapparatuses being linked together to form a network selected from thegroup consisting of a LAN, a WAN, an intranet and the Internet. Thegaming apparatuses may be linked to a central controller. The gamingapparatuses may be linked together to form a peer-to-peer network.

[0018] The features and advantages of the present invention will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detaileddescription of various embodiments, which is made with reference to thedrawings, a brief description of which is provided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a gaming unit;

[0020]FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method of operation of the gaming unitof FIG. 1;

[0021]FIG. 3 is an illustration of a visual display that may bedisplayed when the gaming unit of FIG. 1 operates according to themethod of FIG. 2;

[0022]FIG. 4 is an illustration of a visual display that may bedisplayed when the gaming unit of FIG. 1 operates according to themethod of FIG. 2 showing a first image;

[0023]FIG. 5 is an illustration of a visual display that may bedisplayed when the gaming unit of FIG. 1 operates according to themethod of FIG. 2 showing first and second animated game piece images;

[0024]FIG. 6 is an illustration of a visual display that may bedisplayed when the gaming unit of FIG. 1 operates according to themethod of FIG. 2 showing first, second and third animated game pieceimages;

[0025]FIG. 7a is a block diagram of an embodiment of a gaming systemhaving a plurality of gaming units;

[0026]FIG. 7b is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of agaming system having a plurality of gaming units;

[0027]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a gaming unit foruse in the system of FIGS. 7a and b;

[0028]FIG. 9 is an illustration of an embodiment of a ticket used inconnection with the gaming unit of FIG. 8;

[0029]FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the gaming unit of FIG. 8 includinga controller;

[0030]FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a main routine that may be performed bythe controller of FIG. 8;

[0031]FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a video slots routine that may beperformed by the controller of FIG. 8;

[0032]FIG. 13 is an illustration of spinning reel images that may bedisplayed when the controller of FIG. 8 performs the video slots routineof FIG. 12;

[0033]FIG. 14 is an illustration of spinning and stopped reel imagesthat may be displayed according to a first state when the controller ofFIG. 8 performs the video slots routine of FIG. 12;

[0034]FIG. 15 is an illustration of spinning and stopped reel imagesthat may be displayed according to a second state when the controller ofFIG. 8 performs the video slots routine of FIG. 12;

[0035]FIG. 16 is an illustration of spinning and stopped reel imagesthat may be displayed according to a third state when the controller ofFIG. 8 performs the video slots routine of FIG. 12;

[0036]FIG. 17 is an illustration of spinning and stopped reel imagesthat may be displayed according to a fourth state when the controller ofFIG. 8 performs the video slots routine of FIG. 12;

[0037]FIG. 18 is an illustration of spinning and stopped reel imagesthat may be displayed according to a fifth state when the controller ofFIG. 8 performs the video slots routine of FIG. 12;

[0038]FIG. 19 is an illustration of spinning and stopped reel imagesthat may be displayed according to an alternate state when thecontroller of FIG. 8 performs the video slots routine of FIG. 12;

[0039]FIG. 20 is a flowchart of an alternative video slots routine thatmay be performed by the controller of FIG. 8;

[0040]FIG. 21 is an illustration of spinning reel images and a stoppedreel image that may be displayed according to a first state when thecontroller of FIG. 8 performs the video slots routine of FIG. 20;

[0041]FIG. 22 is an illustration of spinning reel images and a stoppedreel image that may be displayed according to a second state when thecontroller of FIG. 8 performs the video slots routine of FIG. 20;

[0042]FIG. 23 is an illustration of spinning reel images and anotherstopped reel image that may be displayed according to a second statewhen the controller of FIG. 8 performs the video slots routine of FIG.20;

[0043]FIG. 24 is an illustration of spinning reel images and stillanother stopped reel image that may be displayed according to a secondstate when the controller of FIG. 8 performs the video slots routine ofFIG. 20;

[0044]FIGS. 25a-b is a flowchart of a video poker routine that may beperformed by the controller of FIG. 8; and

[0045]FIG. 26 is an illustration of a visual display that may bedisplayed when the controller of FIG. 8 performs the video poker routineof FIGS. 25a-b.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

[0046] The structure and operation of an embodiment of a gaming unit 50is illustrated in FIGS. 1-6.

[0047] Referring first to FIG. 1, the gaming unit 50 includes a cabinet52 (shown schematically). The gaming unit 50 also includes a displayunit 54, an auxiliary output device 56, a wager input device 58, a playinput device 60, and a payout device 62 mounted to the cabinet 52. Thegaming unit also includes a controller 64 (sometimes referred to as amaster gaming controller) that may comprise read-only memory (ROM) 66, amicrocontroller or microprocessor (MP) 68, random-access memory (RAM) 70and an input/output (I/O) circuit 72, all of which may be interconnectedvia an address/data bus 74. Other embodiments may contain mass storagedevices, such as hard drives, CD-ROMs, and flash memories.

[0048] While the display unit 54, the output device 56, the wager inputdevice 58, the play input device 60, and the payout device 62 are showncoupled to the I/O circuit 72, one or more of these elements may becoupled directly to the microprocessor 68. Alternatively, one or more ofthe elements may be coupled to the I/O circuit 72 via a bus.

[0049] While the gaming unit 50 described above has a display unit 54that is capable of generating video images and a controller 64 withmemories 66, 70 and a processor 68 that controls the operation of thegaming unit 50, the subject matter of the instant disclosure is not solimited. The subject matter of the instant disclosure may embrace othergaming systems and other gaming units that do not utilize a display unitcapable of generating video images and/or do not utilize a controllerwith a memory and a processor that controls the operation of the gamingunit. Consequently, the unit 50 is exemplary without being limiting inthis regard.

[0050] Referring now to FIG. 2, the operation of the gaming unit 50 isdiscussed. At block 76, the player first actuates the wager input device58 by making a wager, for example, by introducing paper currency, coins,chits, tokens, or cards (such as debit or credit cards) into the wagerinput device 58 or by performing an electronic funds transfer (EFT)using the wager input device 58. The player then actuates the play inputdevice 60 at block 78 to initiate a game.

[0051] According to this embodiment, the gaming unit 50 plays a genericgame made up of three game pieces. While reference is made to thisexemplary game, any number of games may be played by the gaming unit 50,including slots, poker, blackjack, keno, bingo, etc. Further, while thegame in this case includes three game pieces, any number of game piecescould have been used (one, two, four, etc.).

[0052] After actuation of the play input device 60, the controller 64may immediately determine the identities of the three game pieces (e.g.,by associating each piece with a randomly assigned number) and whetherthe configuration of the game pieces should result in a final valuepayout or not (e.g., by comparing the configuration of random numbersthus generated against values stored in a table)—i.e., the game outcome.The configurations for comparison may be predetermined or preselectedfor all games played of that type, may change before or after each gameplayed, may be totally random, or may be selectable by the player. Thecontroller 64 may also determine the payout value at this time accordingto the game outcome and, typically, the amount wagered.

[0053] For entertainment purposes, the gaming unit 50 controls thedisplay unit 54 to display three game piece images, each imageassociated with one of the game pieces. If the configuration of gamepieces results in a final payout (a “successful” game outcome), thegaming unit 50 will present a configuration of game piece images thatwill match one of a set of combinations of game piece images which havebeen identified to the player as “winning” combinations. Suchidentification of “winning” combinations may be displayed on signagemounted on or attached to the gaming unit 50, or on the display unit 54as part of the initial game presentation, as part of a screen saversequence or as part of an attraction sequence.

[0054] After the actuation of the play input device 60, a first gamepiece image 80 in the form of a sunburst is displayed (see FIG. 4) andthe controller 64 determines an in-game outcome based on whether thefirst game piece image represents a potential winning configuration (or,as the player would see it, if the first game piece image 80 matches afirst image in a ‘winning’ combination) at a block 82. If it isdetermined that the game piece represents a potential winningconfiguration, the controller 64 controls one or more of the displayunit 54, the output device 56 and the payout device 62 to provide astimulation to the player at block 84.

[0055] Alternatively, the determinations of whether stimulations shouldbe provided for any set of game pieces (including for a set having asingle game piece) may be made before any of the game piece images aredisplayed. In such a case, the controller 64 is programmed to initiallydetermine the in-game outcomes, and then to control the display unit 54to display each game piece image and the display unit 54, the auxiliaryoutput device 56, and the payout device 62 to provide the appropriatestimulations according to the in-game outcomes at the appropriate times.

[0056] Illustratively, the controller 64 may control the display unit54, the auxiliary output device 56, and the payout device 62 to providethe stimulations by animating or altering the game piece image 80 (e.g.,causing an increase in the number of rays emanating from the sunburst),by causing the auxiliary output device 56 (e.g., a bell) to sound,and/or by providing a payout via the payout device 62. As a consequenceof permitting more than one stimulation to be provided in response to agiven event, it may be necessary to prioritize the stimulations. Thatis, to prevent too many stimulations from being provided at the sametime and thereby conflicting with each other, the controller 64 may beprogrammed to rank the stimulations. This ranking may be based on apredetermined system of values or weights assigned to each stimulation,may be adaptive according to those stimulations already provided, or maybe randomly assigned.

[0057] Based on this ranking, the controller 64 determines how toprovide the stimulations. For example, the controller 64 may control theoutput devices (such as the display unit 54, the auxiliary output device56, and the payout device 62) to provide the stimulations sequentiallyrather than simultaneously. Alternatively, the controller 64 may beprogrammed to omit the stimulations that received a lower relativeranking. As a further alternative, the controller 64 may be programmedto combine the stimulations so as to provide different stimulations thatmay vary from stimulations that are simple combinations of theindividual stimulations (e.g., the individual notes may be combined intoa chord) to stimulations which are of a different type or characteristicthat either of the individual stimulations that would have been provided(e.g., an animated female figure dancing with a basket of fruit balancedon her head may be substituted for an animated banana, an animatedcherry, and a musical stimulation).

[0058] The controller 64 may control the display unit 54, the auxiliaryoutput device 56 and the payout device 62 by providing specificinstructions to controllers operatively associated with each unit ordevice. Alternatively and preferably, the gaming unit 50 uses anevent-based triggering system that permits a modular approach to beimplemented.

[0059] According to an embodiment of such an event-based triggeringsystem, upon determining the game outcome, for example, the controller64 generates an event that is communicated to the display unit 54, theauxiliary output device 56 and the payout device 62. Each unit or devicein turn determines if the communicated event has significance for thatunit or device and what that significance may be. As a consequence,units or devices may be added or removed from the gaming unit 50 withoutrequiring significant reprogramming of the controller 64.

[0060] More particularly, according to an embodiment of such a system,the controller 64 may generate events representative of the game outcomeand the in-game outcomes. The event associated with the game outcome maybe representative of a win, while the events associated with the in-gameoutcomes consequently may be representative of potential winningcombinations leading up to the winning combination. When these eventsare provided to each of the display unit 54, the auxiliary output device56, and the payout device 62, these events may act as a trigger, causinga controller associated with each unit or device to respond accordingly.For example, upon receiving a potential winning combination triggerevent, the display unit 54 may display animated versions of the gamepiece images and the auxiliary output device 56 may provide additionalaural, visual, or physical stimulations.

[0061] In such an event-based system, it is further possible for theevents themselves to cause additional events to be generated. Forexample, the events generated in one game combined with those generatedin another game may result in the generation of a further set of events.The further set of events is then used trigger the display unit 54, theauxiliary output device 56 and the payout device 62. Following such amethod, different stimulations, different levels of stimulation ordifferent sequences of stimulations may be provided in successive games,within a number of games or within a time period. As a particularexample, a player may initially input a certain value into the gamingunit 50, and as that value is decreased through a series of gameswherein the game pieces are in non-winning configurations, the eventsmay be combined in successive games and new events generated such thatthe stimulations triggered by these later generated events may becomemore intense (e.g., colors become brighter, sounds louder) as a signalto the player to input additional value.

[0062] Returning to FIG. 2, the controller 64 determines at block 86that the game has not yet been completed (i.e. not all three game pieceimages have been displayed). The controller 64 may then determine if theother two game pieces in combination with the first game piece imagecorrespond to winning or potential winning configurations and controlthe display unit 54 to display the next two game piece images 88, 90. Inthis example, the controller 64 would determine that the game pieces doform winning or potential winning combinations (or, the game pieceimages 88, 90 match the corresponding images from a “winning”combination of images), so additional stimulations are provided. Asshown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the number of rays emanating from the sunburstimages 80, 88, 90 are progressively increased. That is, the stimulations“build” or are “heightened.” When the controller 64 determines that theend of game play has been reached, the controller 64 controls the payoutdevice 62 at block 92 to provide the appropriate payout (varying from azero value payout to the maximum value payout) either in paper currency,coins, etc. or to a credit counter.

[0063] Even if the controller 64 determines that the game pieces are notconfigured according to a winning or potential winning configuration(one or more of the game piece images 80, 88, 90 do not “match” thewinning combination), the controller may still provide a stimulation atblock 94. For example, a different animation or sound may be providedthan that provided when the game piece images are correctly matched.Alternatively, a different value payout may be made.

[0064] By providing stimulations during the game, it is believed thatthe player will remain interested in the game. While it is mostpreferable to provide continuous stimulation and to make thestimulations build for successful game outcomes (non-zero payouts at theend of game play), other variations are encompassed by this disclosure.For example, stimulations may be provided only for winning or potentialwinning configurations. Also, the same stimulation may be providedwhether the game pieces represent a winning configuration or anon-winning (“losing”) configuration.

[0065] Additionally, by providing stimulation without requiring furtherinput from the player as to the player's desire to continue with thegame or receive a stimulation, the discontinuity of gaming systems whichrepeatedly inquire of the players desire to continue the game isavoided. It is believed that such discontinuity may adversely affect theplayer's enjoyment of the game, and consequently the player'swillingness to continue playing additional games at the apparatus at thepresent time or in the future. Additionally, the problem ofmisconstruing the player's desire to continue game play is avoided bynot requiring the user to signal the desire to continue game play afterevery receipt of stimulation.

[0066] The structure and operation of an embodiment of a gaming system100 including gaming units 102, similar to the gaming unit 50, is nowdiscussed with reference to FIGS. 7-21. The gaming system 100 mayinclude a plurality of the gaming units 102—for example, a first gamingunit 102 a, a second gaming unit 102 b, and a third gaming unit 102 c.Although three gaming units 102 are shown, more gaming units could beincluded in the system 100.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 7a, each of the gaming units 102 may beconnected to a central computer or controller 104 via a respective datalink 106, which may be provided as, for example, a hardwired link, awireless link, a fiber optic link or a network connection, such as aconnection via the Internet. Although three separate data links 106 areshown in FIG. 1, the data links 106 could be provided in the form of asingle bus or network which may could be connected (via a hardwiredlink, a wireless link, a fiber optic link or a network connection via aLAN, a WAN, an intranet or the Internet) to the central controller 104.In such a system 100, the units 102 may operate under the control ofand/or utilize software, which may include data files, binary files,scripts, data tables, graphic file fonnats, 3D models, etc., stored onthe central computer or controller 104 or available via a network whenstored remotely.

[0068] As further illustrated in FIG. 7a, the central controller 102 mayinclude a read-only memory (ROM) 108, a microcontroller ormicroprocessor (MP) 110, a random-access memory (RAM) 112 and aninput/output (I/O) circuit 114, all of which may be interconnected viaan address/data bus 116. It should be appreciated that although only onemicroprocessor 110 is shown, the controller 104 could include multiplemicroprocessors 110. Similarly, the memory of the controller 104 couldinclude multiple RAMs 112 and multiple ROMs 108. Although the I/Ocircuit 114 is shown as a single block, it should be appreciated thatthe I/O circuit 114 could include a number of different types of I/Ocircuits. The RAM(s) 112 and ROM(s) 108 could be implemented assemiconductor memories, magnetically readable memories, and/or opticallyreadable memories, for example.

[0069] As a further alternative, the game play of gaming units 102 maybe connected or coordinated without the use of a central computer orcontroller 104. As shown in FIG. 7b, a system 100′ is presented whereinthe units 102 are coupled together using links 107, which may behardwired links, wireless links, fiber optic links or networkconnections, rather than to a central computer or controller 104. Duringgame play, the processing necessary to play the game at each unit 102may be shared among the units 102. Such shared processing may bereferred to as peer-to-peer networking, and is within the scope of thepresent invention.

[0070] Additionally, by virtue of the linkage of the units 102 in eitherthe system 100 shown in FIG. 7a or the system 100′ shown in FIG. 7b, thegame play at one of the units 102 may influence the game play at otherof the units 102. For example, success or failure at one of the units102 may influence the payout or bonus opportunities at the other of theunits 102, or the stimulations provided at the other of the units 102.Regarding the later, a stimulation that would typically have beenprovided for an event occurring at each of the various units 102 if theunits 102 were not linked may be provided only at the individual unit102 where the event first occurred in time or where the player'saccumulated value exceeds a threshold value. Alternatively, astimulation, such as a message, may be displayed on each of the linkedunits 102 that indicates the relative times at which events are takingplace on each of the various units 102, or which game piece images arebeing displayed on each of the various units 102.

[0071]FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of the gaming unit 102 in greaterdetail. Specifically, the embodiment of the gaming unit 102 may includea cabinet 118. A color video display unit 120 and panels 122 aredisposed on the front of the cabinet 118 for displaying graphics andinformation associated with one or more games that a customer may play.The gaming unit 102 may also include a variety of input devices, such asa plurality of buttons 124 that a customer may actuate to make wagersand game-specific selections, such as hold or discard decisions. Inaddition or in the alternative, the gaming unit 102 may also includeother game-specific input devices, such as a “spin” button 126 forslots.

[0072] The gaming unit 102 may include a variety of value-acceptingmechanisms that may be disposed on the front of the gaming unit 102 orin any other suitable location. The value-accepting mechanisms mayinclude any device that can accept value from or transfer value for aplayer. As used herein, the term “value” may encompass moneydenominations or credits, and may be in the form of paper currency,coins, gaming tokens, ticket vouchers, electronic vouchers (stored forexample on a card or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)) or any othersuitable object representative of value. For example, thevalue-accepting mechanisms may include a coin acceptor 128 that acceptscoins or tokens; a bill acceptor 130 that accepts and validates papercurrency; a card or ticket reader 132 that accepts coupons, creditcards, printed cards, smart cards, ticket vouchers, etc.; an electronicfunds transfer (EFT) device; and any other device that may accept ortransfer a medium of value.

[0073] The gaming unit 102 may include devices in addition to thedisplay unit 120 to enhance a player's game-playing experience, such asone or more audio speakers 134 and an aroma dispenser 136 (manufacturedby, for example, MicroScent or DigiScents). The audio speakers 134and/or the aroma dispenser 136 may be mounted above the display unit 120or in any other suitable location on the gaming unit 102. Moreover,additional video display units or other visual indicators, such as lightbezels, top boxes, and toppers, may be included.

[0074] The gaming unit 102 also includes a payout device, such as ahopper connected to a tray 138 of the type provided on slot machines,for example. The gaming unit 102 may also include a printer 140 disposedon the front of the gaming unit 102 or in any other suitable location.The printer 140 may be used, for example, to print ticket vouchers 142.As illustrated in FIG. 9, the ticket voucher 142 may be composed ofpaper or another printable material and may have printed informationincluding the casino name 144, the type of ticket voucher 146, avalidation number 148, a bar code 150 with control and/or security data,the date and time of issuance 152, redemption instructions 154 andrestrictions 156, a description of an award 158, and any otherinformation that may be necessary or desirable. Different types ofticket vouchers could be used, such as merchandise ticket vouchers,bonus ticket vouchers, cash-redemption ticket vouchers, casino chipticket vouchers, extra game play ticket vouchers, restaurant ticketvouchers, show ticket vouchers, etc. The ticket vouchers could beprinted with an optically readable material such as ink, or data on theticket vouchers could be magnetically encoded. As a further alternative,the payout device may include a circuit capable of performing or acontroller programmed to perform an electronic funds transfer (EFT) tothe player's bank account or to a virtual account established, forexample, on a PDA or at a casino. Such a transfer could be performedover a hardwired, wireless, fiber optic or network connection.

[0075]FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the gaming unit 102 described above,illustrating the elements described above and a controller 160 that iscoupled to these elements so as to control the operation of the gamingunit 102, whether directly or under the control of the centralcontroller 104. The controller 160 may comprise read-only memory (ROM)162, a microcontroller or microprocessor (MP) 164, random-access memory(RAM) 166 and an input/output (I/O) circuit 168, all of which may beinterconnected via an address/data bus 170. It should be appreciatedthat more than one controller 160 may be provided, and although only onemicroprocessor 164 is shown, the controller 160 could include multiplemicroprocessors 164. Similarly, the memory of the controller 160 couldinclude multiple RAMs 166 and multiple ROMs 162, or mass storagedevices, such as hard drives, CD-ROMs, and flash memories. Moreover, theRAM(s) 166 and ROM(s) 162 could be implemented as semiconductormemories, magnetically readable memories, and/or optically readablememories, for example. Although the I/O circuit 168 is shown as a singleblock, it should be appreciated that the I/O circuit 168 could include anumber of different types of I/O circuits.

[0076]FIG. 10 also illustrates that the components illustrated in FIG. 8could be connected to the I/O circuit 170 via a respective direct lineor conductor. Different connection schemes could be used. For example,one or more of the components shown in FIG. 8 could be connected to theI/O circuit 170 via a common bus or other data link that is shared by anumber of components. Furthermore, some of the components could bedirectly connected to the microprocessor 164 without passing through theI/O circuit 170. Additionally, some components, such as the speaker 134,may be coupled to other circuits, such as a sound circuit 172, which arein turn coupled to the I/O circuit 170.

[0077] One manner in which the gaming unit 102 may operate is describedbelow in connection with a number of flowcharts that represent a numberof portions or routines of one or more computer programs, which may bestored in one or more of the memories of the controller 160. Thecomputer program(s) or portions thereof may be stored remotely, outsideof the gaming unit 102, and may control the operation of the gaming unit102 from a remote location. Such remote control may be facilitated withthe use of a wireless connection or by a network interface (representedby the data links 106, 107) that connects each gaming unit 102 with aremote computer (such as the central processor 104) or the other gamingunits 102 having memory in which the computer program and/or programportions are stored. The computer program and/or program portions may bewritten in any high level language such as C, C++, C#, Java, VisualBasic or the like or any low-level, assembly or machine language. Bystoring the computer program portions therein, various portions of thememories 162, 166 are physically configured, either magnetically (e.g.in the case of a magnetic memory), electrically (e.g. in the case of asemiconductor memory) or structurally (e.g. in the case of an opticalmemory), in accordance with computer program instructions.

[0078]FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a main operating routine 180 that may bestored in the memory of the controller 160. The main routine 180 maybegin operation at block 182 with a player making an input to the gamingunit 20, for example by placing value into one of the value-acceptingdevices 128, 130, 132. At block 184, a game-selection display may begenerated on the display unit 80 to allow the player to select a gameavailable on the gaming unit 102. The game-selection display mayinclude, for example, a list of games that may be played on the gamingunit 102.

[0079] It should be noted that although five routines are shown in FIG.11, a different number of routines could be included to allow play of adifferent number of types of games (e.g., to include dice games, such ascraps, in addition to slots, poker, blackjack, keno, and bingo).Alternatively, the gaming unit 102 may be programmed to allow play ofonly one type of game.

[0080] The player then selects one of the games at block 186, thecontroller 160 executes one of routines 188 (slots), 190 (poker), 192(blackjack), 194 (keno), 196 (bingo) corresponding to the game selectedat block 186. After one of the routines 188, 190, 192, 194, 196 has beenperformed to allow the player to play one of the games, block 198 may beutilized to determine whether the player wishes to terminate play on thegaming unit 102, has exhausted the value inputted into the gaming unit102, or wishes to select another game. If the player wishes to stopplaying the gaming unit 102, which may be expressed, for example, byselecting a quit graphic displayed on the display unit 120 or throughanother input device, the controller 160 may dispense to the player atblock 200 any accumulated value not previously dispensed, as explainedin greater detail below. The operation may then return to block 182 tostart the main routine 180 again. If the player did not wish to quit andstill has value remaining, as determined at block 198, the program maybranch back to block 186 where the game-selection display may again begenerated to allow the player to select another game.

[0081] The embodiments are now explained with regard to a video slotsroutine and a video poker routine.

[0082] Video Slots

[0083]FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an embodiment 188 a of a video slotsroutine that begins at block 204 with the player initiating the game,for example, by depressing the game-specific button 126. After theplayer has initiated the game, at block 206, the controller 160 causes aplurality of game piece images to be generated on the display unit 80(see FIG. 13). Each game piece image of the plurality of game pieceimages represents a spinning slot machine reel.

[0084] As each reel “spins”, the image may be altered or changed in sucha manner as to display an image which may be the image displayed on thatreel when the reel “stops.” As the images corresponding to the possiblestopped reels are displayed, additional stimulations may be provided tothe player in the form of, for example, aural stimulation (e.g.,3-dimensional sound effects or a Doppler sound effect) and/or visualstimulation (e.g., through the use of light bezel displays or byhighlighting of the image as it is displayed using 3-dimensional videotechniques). The possible stopped reel images displayed may also beexaggerated based on those images already displayed, if any, i.e.,according to whether the image to be displayed could be combined withthe images already displayed to complete a configuration of images whichwould result in an in-game or a game outcome which would result in avalue payout.

[0085] While the reels are “spinning,” the controller 160 determines thegame piece identities, the game outcome, and the images to be displayedfor each of the game pieces at block 208. Alternatively, the centralcontroller 104 may make these determinations. As a further alternative,the images may be selected before the reels are started “spinning.”

[0086] At block 210, the controller 160 causes the display unit 120 todisplay a final stopped reel image (in the form a smiling face) for oneof the spinning reel images (see FIG. 14), simulating the stopping ofthe reel. The controller 160 then makes a determination at block 212whether the game piece corresponding to the stopped reel imagerepresents a potential winning configuration. If the controller 160determines at block 212 that the game piece represents a potentialwinning configuration (the image “matches” one of the images in a“winning” combination of images), then at a block 214, the controller160 causes one or more stimulations to be provided to the player. Forexample, the controller 160 may control the display unit 120 to displayan animated or altered version of the image originally displayed for thestopped reel (e.g., compare the smiling face of FIG. 14 with thecorresponding image in FIG. 16), or to display a more highly animatedversion of the image originally displayed if the image was originallyanimated. The controller 160 may also control the display unit 120 todisplay an animated border about the reels (compare the border regionsof FIGS. 13-18). The controller 160 may control the speakers 134 toprovide an aural stimulation, the aroma dispenser 136 to provide anaromatic stimulation, and/or the printer 140 or other payout device toprovide a value stimulation in response to the determination made atblock 212. After providing the stimulation, the controller determines atblock 216 whether the game has been completed (whether all of the reelshave been “stopped”). According to this discussion, the controllerdetermines that the game is not complete, and returns to block 210 todisplay the next stopped reel image and make the next determination atblock 212.

[0087] The reels may be stopped from left to right, from the perspectiveof the player, or in any other manner or sequence with any number ofreels stopping at the same time. Moreover, the reels may be stopped attimes and/or in a sequence determined by the player, for example,through the use of an input device such as a “stop spin” button or atouch screen (on which the images of the reels are displayed). Also, asthe player uses an input device, such as the “stop spin” button, anaural or visual stimulation, such as a bell tone, may be provided. Asshown in FIGS. 14-18, the reels are stopped left to right one at a timewithout player interaction.

[0088] As shown in FIGS. 15-18, with each additional determination of apotential winning configuration, the controller 160 controls the displayunit 120 to display images that are more and more animated (e.g.,compare the game piece images of FIG. 14 with FIG. 16). The borderaround the reels (e.g., compare the borders of FIGS. 14-18) also becomesmore animated. Different colors and brightness levels may also be used(e.g., compare FIG. 15 with FIG. 16, and then FIG. 16 with FIG. 17).Additionally, textual messages may be displayed on the display unit 120,which messages may change (e.g., “You're almost there!” changes to“YOU'RE A WINNER!” when a final qualifying event takes place) or animate(e.g., the individual letters move up and down as if jumping for joy)with each additional qualifying event.

[0089] In fact, as noted above, it may be desirable to prioritize thestimulations and to provide the stimulations sequentially instead ofsimultaneously, to omit some stimulations altogether, or to combine thestimulations to avoid conflicting stimulations. Moreover, the gamingunit may be programmed to permit the choice of stimulations to beprovided to be determined by the player through the actuation of aninput device, such as a button or touch screen. For example, the playermay choose a particular style of stimulations reflecting a particularcultural influence so as to provide the most pleasing sensory experiencefor the player (e.g., the player may desire to have the cartooncharacter images displayed instead of more traditional symbols, orclassical music played instead of bluegrass).

[0090] Further, as noted above, the images representing the stillspinning reels may change with each stopped reel image that correspondsto a “winning” combination of images. For example, with each additionaldetermination of a potential winning configuration, the spinning reelimages may increase in speed, may increase in brightness, change in sizeso as to appear to swell widthwise or lengthwise, or show symbols frommatching combinations as they spin past on the reels, for example.Alternatively, a given reel may be “emphasized” by “de-emphasizing” theremaining reels, for example by varying the relative speeds, brightness,etc. As a further alternative, an image may be “emphasized” by“de-emphasizing” the remaining images on the reel. Moreover, thecontroller 160 may cause an aural stimulation to be provided via thespeakers (such as by playing “Everything's Coming Up Roses”), visualstimulation to be provided via additional display units or visualindicators (such as by causing an auxiliary display unit display animage of a rose or a light bezel to flash red), an aromatic (orphysical) stimulation to be provided via the aroma dispenser (such as byproviding a mist of a rose-scented perfume) and/or a value payout.

[0091] In the alternative, if the controller 160 determines at block 212that the game pieces do not represent a winning or potential winningconfiguration (the stopped reel images do not “match” a “winning”combination), the controller 160 may still provide some type ofstimulation in response at block 218. For example, the controller 160might, as shown in FIG. 19, animate the previously smiling images tofrown. At the same time, the brightness and animation of the border mayalso be decreased. Also, there might be a smaller or no payout based onthe failure to match a “winning” combination of images.

[0092] When it is determined at a block 216 that all of the events havebeen performed, the controller 160 exits the slots routine 188 a andreturns to the main routine 180 shown in FIG. 11. Alternatively, beforeexiting the slots routine 188 a, the controller 160 may, as a furtherreward stimulation for example, cause the speakers 134 to announce“Let's see that again!” and the display unit 120 to replay the game(blocks 210, 212, 214, 216, 218), complete with the events andstimulations provided during the game (except for the value stimulation,which may be only provided during game play, although it is possible toprovide further value stimulation as well during the game replay).Similarly, such a replay could be used during game play, for examplebetween the state illustrated in FIG. 17 and that illustrated in FIG. 18to heighten the suspense of the display of the last reel at FIG. 18.

[0093] An alternative video slot routine 188 b is shown in FIG. 20. Thealternative video slot routine 188 b is similar to the slot routine 188a, but provides additional game play not available in the routine 188 afor even heightened in-game stimulation. The additional game play isprovided in the form of one or more additional determinations and/orgame pieces that may or may not influence the determination as towhether a payoff should be made for the game which the player isplaying. These one or more additional determinations and/or game piecesmay be described as defining a “game” separate or in combination withthe game that is being played.

[0094] In a preferred form of the routine, the one or more additionaldeterminations and/or game pieces define a separate game the results ofwhich do not necessarily influence the game that the player is playing.Moreover, in a preferred form of the routine, the one or more additionaldeterminations and/or game pieces include a single additionaldetermination.

[0095] More specifically, again with reference to FIG. 20, thecontroller 160 determines at block 232 if the game has been initated.When the controller 160 determines that the game has been initiated atblock 232, the controller 160 controls the display unit 120 to displayimages of spinning reels while the controller 160 determines the stoppedreel images at block 234. The controller 160 determines the images to bedisplayed as stopped reel images at a block 236. At block 238, thecontroller 160 controls the display unit 120 to display one of thestopped reel images in accordance with the stopped reel imagesdetermined at block 236.

[0096] The controller 160 then determines at block 240 whether the oneor more determinations and/or game pieces will be provided in additionto the game pieces that make up the game. The determination may be madeto provide the additional determinations and/or game pieces because thegame pieces of the original game are in a potential winningconfiguration. Alternatively, the determination may be made to providethe additional determinations and/or game pieces because the game piecesof the original game are in a non-winning configuration. As a furtheralternative, the additional game play may be triggered by some otherevent, or may occur in all cases. If the controller 160 determines atblock 240 that the additional determinations and/or game pieces are tobe provided, then the controller 160 controls the gaming unit 102 toprovide the additional determinations and/or game pieces at block 242.

[0097] The additional determinations and/or game pieces provided atblock 242 may form games that vary in complexity and subject matter. Forexample, the game may include an independent determination of whetherone or more (in this case, one) of the original game pieces represent anew winning configuration of game pieces for the “game-in-a-game,” andthis determination may be influenced by the player, for example, throughthe depression of a “stop spin” button or the like. At the same time,the controller 160 may control the display unit 120 so that to theplayer it appears as though one of the previously stopped reels is again“spinning” through a plurality of images, some of which match theoriginal stopped reel image (e.g., compare the third game piece image ofFIG. 21 with the corresponding image in FIG. 22) and others that do notmatch (e.g., compare the third game image (smiling face) of FIG. 21 withthe corresponding images in FIGS. 23 and 24 (frowning face and cherries,respectively)). Based on the determination made of whether the originalgame piece represents a new winning configuration, the controller 160may then determine which one of these images to display as a secondstopped reel image, and display the second stopped reel image.

[0098] The controller 160 also determines at block 244 if theconfiguration of the original game piece is a qualifying event. Forexample, a winning combination may be defined as a qualifying event. Fora qualifying event, the player may receive a stimulation, whether aural,visual, value or other, at block 246. For a non-qualifying event, astimulation may still be provided at block 248, but typically not avalue stimulation.

[0099] Alternatively, according to another embodiment, the controller160 may control the gaming unit 102 to provide the determinations andgame pieces necessary to play a hand of blackjack at block 242. That is,the controller 160 “deals” two hands of two cards one of which is theplayer's hand, permits the player to draw additional cards to becombined in determining the value of the player's hand, and determinesif the value of the player's cards equals 21 or at least exceeds theother hand of cards (“a win”) or if the value of the player's cardsexceeds 21 or does not exceed the other hand of cards (“a loss”).

[0100] According to still another embodiment, after several of aplurality of reels have “stopped,” the player may be given the option tochoose one of the reel images and be awarded a stimulation dependingupon a predetermined, random, etc. assignment of stimulations to thereels. For example, in an adaptation on the familiar “shell game,” eachof the stopped reel images may be in the form of a hat or shell, and theplayer may be allowed to select one of the hats or shells. Depending onthe selection, the player may be provided with a value payout, an auralstimulation, etc., or no additional stimulation. Afterwards, game playproceeds with the stopping of the other reels and other events and theproviding of a final payout.

[0101] Whether or not the steps shown in blocks 242, 244, 246, 248 havebeen performed, the controller 160 determines at block 150 if the gameis completed. If the game is not completed, then the controller returnsto block 238 and displays the next stopped reel image and makes the nextdetermination.

[0102] As a further modification to the alternative routine 188 bdescribed above, the routine 188 b may provide a stimulation separatefrom the game play represented by the blocks 242, 244, 246, 248. Thatis, because it may be desirable that only certain events (e.g. onlycertain potential winning configurations) trigger the performance of thesteps shown in blocks 242, 244, 246, 248, it may still be desirable toprovide some stimulation representative of, for example, a potentialwinning combination even if the potential winning combination does notresult in the game play of blocks 242, 244, 246, 248.

[0103] Video Poker

[0104] As further illustration, FIG. 25 shows a flowchart of anembodiment 190 of the video poker routine shown schematically in FIG.11. To simplify the discussion, reference is made to the game play as itis generally viewed by the player, rather than all of the operationsperformed by the controller 160 during the game play.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 25, at block 304, the player initiates thegame. At block 306, the controller 160 may select images representingtwo or more sets of playing cards (i.e., “hands of cards to be dealt”)according to a set of randomly generated numbers, each numbercorresponding to one of the cards in a standard deck. Alternatively, asexplained above, the central controller 104 may generate the randomlygenerated numbers and/or assign the cards corresponding to the numbersinstead of the controller 160. For ease of illustration, a variation isdiscussed wherein the dealer receives one hand of cards, and the playerreceives one hand of cards.

[0106] The controller 160 causes the display unit 120 to display a firstgame piece image representing a face-up playing card 310 (see FIG. 26)at a block 308. The game piece image 310 is one of a plurality of gamepiece images 312, 314, 316, 318 displayed on the display unit 120, eachgame piece image representing a face-up playing card and the game pieceimages collectively representing a hand of cards.

[0107] As each card is dealt at block 308, the controller 160 determinesat block 320 whether the game piece image 310, for example, correspondsto a combination of images (“a winning hand”). For example, thecontroller 160 may determine at block 320 whether the game piece image310 corresponds to an ace, where the ace is part of the combination ofimages. If it is determined that the game piece image 310 is an ace,then at block 322, a stimulation is provided to the player. As notedabove, the stimulation may be visual, aural, physical and/or value. Asalso noted above, a different stimulation may be provided at block 324if the controller 160 determines at block 320 that the game piece imageis not an ace. In either alternative, the controller 160 then preferablycauses the display unit 120 to display at block 326 a game piece imagerepresenting a face-down playing card 328 to the dealer.

[0108] The controller 160 performs the steps at blocks 308, 320, 322,324, 326 until the controller 160 determines at a block 330 that all ofthe game piece images have been displayed (i.e., “the hands have beendealt”). After the hands have been dealt, the player may have anopportunity at block 332 to increase the initial wager. At block 334,the player may be allowed to discard and draw new cards in an attempt toimprove the player's poker hand. If the player chooses to discard andredeal, the controller 160 will perform steps at blocks 336, 338, 340,342, 344, 346 similar to those at blocks 306, 308, 320, 322, 324, 330.At block 348, the dealer may be allowed to discard and draw new cards inan attempt to improve its poker hand.

[0109] At block 350, the controller 160 may determine the outcome of thepoker game and a corresponding payout while causing the display unit 120to display the face-up game piece images of the cards in the dealer'shand. If the player has won the game (i.e. the player's hand is betterthan the dealer's hand), the payout will be positive. If the player hasnot won the game, the player may forfeit the wager(s) made. The routine190 then exits to the main routine 180.

[0110] In addition to the routines outlined above, it will be recognizedthat visual, aural, physical, and/or value stimulation may be providedafter each of the player's cards are dealt or turned over during thedetermination step at block 350, as well as when each of the dealer'scards are dealt. For example, if the player has a single pair of acesand the dealer turns over its third king, the controller 160 may causethe player's aces to animate such that the symbols on the game pieceimage spin and a sound of a tub draining or bacon frying is played onthe speakers 134. Alternatively, controller 160 may cause the displayunit 120 to animate the kings on the dealer's cards and cause thespeakers 134 to play the sound of snickering.

[0111] While routines have been explained above regarding slots andpoker, one will recognize that similar modifications can be made for theother games named above (blackjack, keno, and bingo), as well as othergames such as othello, pachinko, video pachinko, pinball, video pinball,etc. For example, the rules of pachinko permit multiple games to beplayed in parallel (see Brosnan et al. “Parallel Games on a GamingDevice,” U.S. Ser. No. 09/553,437 filed in the U.S. Patent and TrademarkOffice on Apr. 19, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety). In such a case, the in-game stimulation for one game (orball) may be made dependent upon the in-game or end-game play of anothergame (or ball). A similar parallel gaming possibility may be presentedfor a slot gaming unit, for example, capable of playing multiple,separate slot games at the same time.

[0112] Moreover, while certain stimulations and stimulators have beendiscussed, other simulations and stimulators are possible. For example,more than one video display unit 120 may be provided, as might a videodisplay unit 120 having a partitioned screen or a combination of a videodisplay unit 120 with a set of physical reel devices. Other visualstimulators, such as reels, top boxes, toppers, candles, light bezels(to animate, flash or track), button lights and dispenser lights, mayalso be provided. Additionally, the aural stimulations may be simple(i.e., emanating from a single point) or multi-dimension (i.e.,appearing to emanate from multiple points in space or from a sourcewhich is moving in two-dimensional space or three-dimensional space).Other physical stimulations may be provided, such as chair movementand/or shaking, machine shuttering, topper and top box element movement,fog, smoke, steam, sparks, and fireworks. Moreover, peripheral units,such as player tracking devices, that have their own display units,lights, speakers, etc. may be coupled to the gaming units according tothe embodiments discussed above, and the gaming unit may control thesestimulators as well in response to in-game and game determinations made.

[0113] Moreover, the exact order of the processing of the steps duringgame play discussed above is not intended to be limiting. For example,as noted above, while it is shown that the controller 64, 104, 160 makesan individual determination regarding the game piece or game piece imageas the game piece image is displayed, the determination may be madebefore the game piece image is displayed. Moreover, the disclosure alsoembraces an embodiment wherein all of the in-game and gamedeterminations are made separately but at a single time. Additionally,the timing of the display of the game piece image and the stimulationmay be such that the game piece image and stimulation are provided atthe same time, the game piece image slightly ahead of the stimulation,or the stimulation slightly ahead of the game piece image.

[0114] Additionally, while the routines disclosed herein start with theplacement of a wager, the embodiments of the present invention are notso limited. For example, as a reward for previous play or a successfulconclusion to a previous game, the player may receive a “bonus” or“free” game, i.e., a game wherein a payout may be made without a wagerbeing placed, or a “re-spin” of selected reels, i.e., the controllerdetermines new game pieces for reels already “stopped.” In such a case,the gaming unit may automatically start the “bonus” game upon thecompletion of the previous game. Alternatively, the game unit may beprogrammed to permit the player to input an initial value, set a wageramount, and then play a series of games, the gaming unit automaticallydeducting the wager amount from the initial value entered (and anywinnings which may have accumulated) at the initiation of eachadditional game without the player making an additional wagerdetermination.

[0115] Further, in combination with any of the preceding routines or aspart of a further alternative routine, the player may be permitted tochange a characteristic of the game piece image during game play so asto define an altered game piece image and an altered game piece. Forexample, the player may be permitted, under certain circumstances, tochange a stopped reel image or to change the color of the suit of oneplaying card image during game play, with an attendant change in theassociated game piece. As a further alternative, the player may bepermitted to “re-spin” the reels already “stopped,” i.e. have thecontroller determine new game pieces for the reels already stopped andcombine those new game pieces with the game pieces previously determinedand not yet displayed. The player may indicate his or her desire tochange the characteristics of a game piece through any manner of inputdevice, for example, a button or a touch screen. The altered game pieceis then used in combination with the other game pieces to determine thein-game outcome and the game outcome, although the payout may bemodified to take into account the fact that the player changed a gamepiece.

[0116] By providing stimulation during game play, rather that just atthe completion of all of the events of the game, it is believed that theplayer will remain interested in the game because of theattention-grabbing stimulations during the game. As a furtherconsequence, it is believed that the player will, if the gaming unit isa multi-game unit, play other games on the unit to determine what otherstimulations are possible. Moreover, it is believed that the player willreturn to the gaming unit using the stimulation method according to thedisclosure because of the stimulations provided during game play.

[0117] Modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoingdescription. This description is to be construed as illustrative only,and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the bestmode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure andmethod may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, and the exclusive use of all modifications which comewithin the scope of the appended claims is reserved.

1. A method for operating a gaming apparatus, the gaming apparatuscapable of playing a game comprising a plurality of game pieces, themethod comprising: determining a first in-game outcome for each gamebased on a configuration of a first set of game pieces selected from theplurality of game pieces, the number of pieces in the first set of gamepieces being less than that in the plurality; displaying a first set ofimages corresponding to the first set of game pieces; providing a firstin-game stimulation selected from the group consisting of a3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visual stimulation, a valuestimulation and a physical stimulation according to the first in-gameoutcome; determining separately a game outcome for each game based on aconfiguration of the plurality of game pieces; displaying a plurality ofgame piece images corresponding to the plurality of game pieces; anddetermining a value payout based on the game outcome.
 2. The method ofoperating a gaming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the step ofdetermining a first in-game outcome comprises the step of determining afirst in-game outcome for each game based on a single game pieceselected from the plurality of game pieces.
 3. The method of operating agaming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: determininganother in-game outcome for each game based on a configuration ofanother set of game pieces selected from the plurality of game pieces,the number of pieces in the another set of game pieces being less thanthat in the plurality and more than that in the first set of gamepieces; displaying another set of images corresponding to the anotherset of game pieces; and providing another in-game stimulation selectedfrom the group consisting of a 3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visualstimulation, a value stimulation and a physical stimulation according tothe another in-game outcome.
 4. The method of operating a gamingapparatus according to claim 3, wherein the step of providing anotherin-game stimulation comprises providing a stimulation which isheightened relative to the first in-game stimulation.
 5. The method ofoperating a gaming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the steps ofdetermining a first in-game outcome, determining another in-game outcomeand determining a game outcome are performed before the step ofdisplaying a first set of game piece images.
 6. The method of operatinga gaming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising providing asecond in-game stimulation selected from the group consisting of a3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visual stimulation, a valuestimulation and a physical stimulation according to the first in-gameoutcome.
 7. The method of operating a gaming apparatus according toclaim 6, wherein the steps of providing a first in-game stimulation andof providing a second in-game stimulation are performed simultaneously.8. The method of operating a gaming apparatus according to claim 6,wherein the steps of providing a first in-game stimulation and ofproviding a second in-game stimulation are performed sequentially. 9.The method of operating a gaming apparatus according to claim 6, furthercomprising the step of combining the first in-game stimulation with thesecond in-game stimulation to provide a third stimulation
 10. The methodof operating a gaming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stepof providing a first in-game stimulation comprises the steps ofgenerating an event and providing the event to a first stimulatorselected from the group consisting of a 3-dimensional aural stimulator,a visual stimulator, a physical stimulator, and a value stimulator, thestimulator providing a stimulation according to the event.
 11. Themethod of operating a gaming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thestep of providing a first in-game stimulation comprises generating afirst event and a second event, combining the first event with thesecond event to generate a third event, and providing the third event toa first stimulator selected from the group consisting of a 3-dimensionalaural stimulator, a visual stimulator, a physical stimulator, and avalue stimulator, the stimulator providing a stimulation according tothe third event that is different than would have been providedaccording to the first event or the second event.
 12. The method ofoperating a gaming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the step ofdetermining a value payout comprises the step of determining a valuepayout based on a wager made by a player and the game outcome.
 13. Amethod for operating a gaming apparatus, the gaming apparatus capable ofplaying a game comprising a plurality of game pieces, the methodcomprising: displaying a plurality of spinning reel images; determininga first in-game outcome for each game based on a configuration of afirst set of game pieces selected from the plurality of game pieces, thenumber of game pieces in the first set of game pieces being less thanthat in the plurality of game pieces; displaying a set of stopped reelimages corresponding to the first set of game piece images; providing afirst in-game stimulation selected from the group consisting of a3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visual stimulation, a valuestimulation and a physical stimulation according to the first in-gameoutcome; determining separately a game outcome for each game based on aconfiguration of the plurality of game pieces; displaying a plurality ofstopped reel images corresponding to the plurality of game pieces; anddetermining a value payout based on the game outcome.
 14. The method ofoperating a gaming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the step ofdetermining a first in-game outcome comprises the step of determining afirst in-game outcome for each game based on a single game pieceselected from the plurality of game pieces.
 15. The method of operatinga gaming apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:determining another in-game outcome for each game based on aconfiguration of another set of game pieces selected from the pluralityof game pieces, the number of pieces in the another set of game piecesbeing less than that in the plurality and more than that in the firstset of game pieces; displaying another set of stopped reel imagescorresponding to the another set of game pieces; and providing anotherin-game stimulation selected from the group consisting of a3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visual stimulation, a valuestimulation and a physical stimulation according to the another in-gameoutcome.
 16. The method of operating a gaming apparatus according toclaim 15, wherein the step of providing another in-game stimulationcomprises providing a stimulation which is heightened relative to thefirst in-game stimulation.
 17. The method of operating a gamingapparatus according to claim 15, wherein the steps of determining afirst in-game outcome, determining another in-game outcome anddetermining a game outcome are performed before the step of displaying afirst set of game piece images.
 18. The method of operating a gamingapparatus according to claim 13, further comprising providing a secondin-game stimulation selected from the group consisting of a3-dimensional aural stimulation, a visual stimulation, a valuestimulation and a physical stimulation according to the first in-gameoutcome.
 19. The method of operating a gaming apparatus according toclaim 18, wherein the steps of providing a first in-game stimulation andof providing a second in-game stimulation are performed simultaneously.20. The method of operating a gaming apparatus according to claim 18,wherein the steps of providing a first in-game stimulation and ofproviding a second in-game stimulation are performed sequentially. 21.The method of operating a gaming apparatus according to claim 18,further comprising the step of combining the first in-game stimulationwith the second in-game stimulation to provide a third stimulation 22.The method of operating a gaming apparatus according to claim 13,wherein the step of providing a first in-game stimulation comprises thesteps of generating an event and providing the event to a firststimulator selected from the group consisting of a 3-dimensional auralstimulator, a visual stimulator, a physical stimulator, and a valuestimulator, the stimulator providing a stimulation according to theevent.
 23. The method of operating a gaming apparatus according to claim13, wherein the step of providing a first in-game stimulation comprisesgenerating a first event and a second event, combining the first eventwith the second event to generate a third event, and providing the thirdevent to a first stimulator selected from the group consisting of a3-dimensional aural stimulator, a visual stimulator, a physicalstimulator, and a value stimulator, the stimulator providing astimulation according to the third event that is different than wouldhave been provided according to the first event or the second event. 24.The method of operating a gaming apparatus according to claim 13,wherein the step of determining a value payout comprises the step ofdetermining a value payout based on a wager made by a player and thegame outcome.
 25. A gaming apparatus capable of playing a gamecomprising a plurality of game pieces, the gaming apparatus comprising:a display unit that is capable of generating video images; at least onestimulator selected from the group consisting of a 3-dimensional auralstimulation device, a visual stimulation device, a value payout device,and a physical stimulation device; a controller operatively coupled tothe display unit, the controller comprising a processor and a memoryoperatively coupled to the processor and programmed to: determine afirst in-game outcome for each game based on a configuration of a firstset of game pieces selected from the plurality of game pieces, thenumber of pieces in the first set of game pieces being less than that inthe plurality; control the display unit to display a first set of imagescorresponding to the first set of game pieces; control the at least onestimulator to provide a first in-game stimulation according to the firstin-game outcome; determine separately a game outcome for each game basedon a configuration of the plurality of game pieces; control the displayunit to display a plurality of game piece images corresponding to theplurality of game pieces; and determine a value payout based on the gameoutcome.
 26. The gaming apparatus according to claim 25, wherein thecontroller is programmed to determine a first in-game outcome bydetermining a first in-game outcome for each game based on a single gamepiece selected from the plurality of game pieces.
 27. The gamingapparatus according to claim 25, wherein the controller is alsoprogrammed to: determine another in-game outcome for each game based ona configuration of another set of game pieces selected from theplurality of game pieces, the number of pieces in the another set ofgame pieces being less than that in the plurality and more than that inthe first set of game pieces; control the display unit to displayanother set of images corresponding to the another set of game pieces;and control the at least one stimulator to provide another in-gamestimulation according to the another in-game outcome.
 28. The gamingapparatus according to claim 27, wherein the controller is programmed toheighten the another in-game stimulation relative to the first in-gamestimulation.
 29. The gaming apparatus according to claim 27, wherein thecontroller is programmed to determine the first in-game outcome, theanother in-game outcome and the game outcome before controlling thedisplay unit to display the first set of game piece images.
 30. Thegaming apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the controller isprogrammed to control the at least one stimulator to provide a secondin-game stimulation according to the first in-game outcome.
 31. Thegaming apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the controller isprogrammed to control the at least one stimulator to provide the firstin-game stimulation and the second in-game stimulation simultaneously.32. The gaming apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the controlleris programmed to control the at least one stimulator to provide thefirst in-game stimulation and the second in-game stimulationsequentially.
 33. The gaming apparatus according to claim 30, whereinthe controller is programmed to combine the first in-game stimulationwith the second in-game stimulation to provide a third stimulation 34.The gaming apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the controller isprogrammed to provide a first in-game stimulation by generating an eventand by providing the event to a first stimulator selected from the groupconsisting of a 3-dimensional aural stimulator, a visual stimulator, aphysical stimulator, and a value stimulator, the stimulator providing astimulation according to the event.
 35. The gaming apparatus accordingto claim 25, wherein the controller is programmed to provide a firstin-game stimulation by generating a first event and a second event, bycombining the first event with the second event to generate a thirdevent, and by providing the third event to a first stimulator selectedfrom the group consisting of a 3-dimensional aural stimulator, a visualstimulator, a physical stimulator, and a value stimulator, thestimulator providing a stimulation according to the third event that isdifferent than would have been provided according to the first event orthe second event.
 36. The gaming apparatus according to claim 25, thegaming apparatus further comprises a value input device and thecontroller is programmed to determine a value payout by determining avalue payout based on a wager made by a player using the value inputdevice and the game outcome.
 37. The gaming apparatus according to claim25, wherein the visual stimulation device is selected from the groupconsisting of a display unit, a partitioned display unit, multipledisplay units, reels, top boxes, toppers, candles, light bezels, buttonlights and dispenser lights.
 38. The gaming apparatus according to claim25, wherein the visual stimulation device comprises a peripheral devicehaving lights and displays.
 39. The gaming apparatus according to claim25, wherein the payout device is selected from the group consisting of acoin hopper, a token hopper, a printer for printing merchandise ticketvouchers, bonus ticket vouchers, cash-redemption ticket vouchers, casinochip ticket vouchers, extra game play ticket vouchers, restaurant ticketvouchers, or show ticket vouchers, and an electronic funds transferdevice.
 40. The gaming apparatus according to claim 36, wherein thevalue input device is selected from the group consisting of a billacceptor, a coin acceptor, a token acceptor, a card reader, a ticketreader, a coupon reader, a voucher reader and an electronic fundstransfer device.
 41. A gaming system comprising a plurality of gamingapparatuses as defined in claim 25, the gaming apparatuses being linkedtogether to form a network selected from the group consisting of a LAN,a WAN, an intranet and the Internet.
 42. The gaming system according toclaim 41, wherein the gaming apparatuses are linked to a centralcontroller.
 43. The gaming system according to claim 41, wherein thegaming apparatuses are linked together to form a peer-to-peer network.